["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
Hello? Hello? Hello?
Peters! Peters, it's an earthquake!
Put every available officer on duty!
Yes, sir.
And look at that chandelier swing, sir!
Look out!
Oh, never mind the chandelier, it's over now.
We just got a sample of the quake that hit Harmansville.
Sheriff Klein phoned that it's destroying half the town.
We've got to get aid there quick!
Yes, sir.
And, uh, Peters?
Yes?
Put all exchange officers to work,
calling hospitals and relief agencies.
We need all available doctors and nurses.
Yes, sir.
Radio?
Send all South Area Squad cars to cover the earthquake at Harmansville.
Have them report directly to us.
Yes, sir.
["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
Calling all cars, attention all cars.
Cars 21 to 55 depart immediately to investigate the earthquake at Harmansville.
Western District Patrol will move into Southern Area and take up local patrol.
Calling all cars, attention all cars.
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Please, please head quarters, calling general hospitals.
There's been an earthquake.
Doctor, may I have a moment, please?
Please head quarters, doctors.
All doctors are needed at Harmansville and are supposed to be doing...
Please, please, quieters.
We need all available nurses at Harmansville.
Earthquake, emergency!
Order companies 612 and 14 to aid the Harmansville fire department.
The whole town is in flames!
["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
Come in.
Well, here's the latest report on the Harmansville quake, chief.
Order has been restored and here's a complete list of dead and injured, sir.
Good, put them on the desk.
Well, the worst is all over now, chief.
Don't you think you better get some sleep?
Sleep?
No, I'm good for the rest of the day.
All right, chief.
But you've been up two days and nights now, sir.
Yes?
I'll miss a Logan to see you, chief.
All right, send him in.
Now, don't worry about me, Peters.
That quake was a terrible thing, but it looks like we have the situation well under control.
Come in.
Hey, Robinson.
Yes?
I'm Spencer Logan, investigator for the major insurance company.
Oh, sit down, Mr. Logan. This is Captain Peters.
Thank you. How do you do, Peters?
Oh, glad to know you.
Our company is making adjustments and paying policy just as rapidly as possible in the Harmansville quake.
Good. That will speed relief work.
We realize that, however, in hurrying to pay all claims, it's necessary to increase our vigilance.
You mean against fraudulent claims?
Yes. Any major disaster such as this always has its share.
My company wants to pay all legitimate claims as soon as it can,
but it's my job to see that there are no frauds.
I see.
It's too large a job for one man,
so I'm appealing to you for one or two men from your office to speed things up.
Otherwise, claimants will be forced to wait their turn.
Well, just what do you want from my men?
Well, they will be asked to assist only in cases where our investigators can't handle the situation.
I see.
Take this case, for instance.
Pull up a chair, Peters.
Yes, sir.
Now, here's a typical case, the case of Ward Williams.
Williams and his brother own a small shop on White Street, right in the center of the earthquake district.
The shop, not insured, is in ruins.
However, Williams' brother, Hugh Williams, is heavily insured with our company.
You mean life insurance?
Yes. Late yesterday, rescuers pulled a body from under the ruins.
There's Ward Williams' claims that it's the body of his brother.
He identified it in one of the temporary morgues.
He also produced a $50,000 policy and demanded immediate payment.
That's not strange, is it?
No, that part of it isn't.
However, I was present when Williams identified the body by the clothes and shoes.
He appeared greatly grieved, but another merchant asked him if he was sure that the body was that of his brother.
Williams was shaken and answered in a menacing tone,
sure it is, and nobody better say it isn't.
Now, it's been my experience that anyone who has the least possible reason to believe a relative alive
will grasp at the hope of any suggestion to that effect.
Yes, that's right.
Not only that, but I took the other merchant aside and asked him
why he suggested that the body might not be Hugh Williams.
And he told me that as he, the merchant, ran from his store,
he thought he saw Hugh Williams and his brother run into the street.
Well, were there any other employees in the shop at the time of the quake?
No, but we have only Williams' word for that.
Well, what do you propose to do?
Well, in this particular case, I propose to enlist your aid in finding Hugh Williams,
whom I believe to be still alive.
You mean, you believe him to be an apocalyptic brother to collect the insurance?
Yes, in which case finding him will prove very difficult
if he would naturally go into hiding until after the claim has been paid.
Well, if our cooperation will speed relief, I'll be glad to assign a few men to you.
Thank you.
Just as a starter, Chief, I'd like to take a crack at this Williams case.
All right, Peters, if you have any ideas on it,
I'm sure that Mr. Logan will be grateful for your assistance.
Indeed, I will.
All right, just give me this Williams address and I'll soon have a report for you.
Yes, sir, I got some ideas of my own on this thing.
Yes?
Mr. Williams?
Oh, yes.
You're Mr. Ward Williams?
Yes.
I'm Captain Peter, Central Police Station.
There's a little matter I'd like to talk to you about.
Certainly, Captain, come in.
Oh, thanks.
Sit down here, Captain.
Oh, thanks, I can't stay long.
Mr. Williams, one of our patrolmen picked up a man about 45
who'd been struck by a hit-and-run driver.
When this man regained consciousness, we asked his name and he claims he is Hugh Williams,
but doesn't know where he lives.
Hugh, the doctor says, he's suffering from amnesia, loss of memory,
and I thought he might be your brother.
My brother Hugh is dead.
I saw him with my own eyes as they pulled his body from the wreckage of my store.
You're positive in your identification?
I am.
Well, I guess that's that.
This fellow's name may be Hugh Williams,
but he's probably not the person this adjuster thinks he is.
No.
Adjuster?
Yeah, a fellow named Logan, investigator for the major insurance company.
You see, his idea is that during the confusion of the quake,
your brother ran from the building before it fell
and was making his way to the city when he was struck by an automobile.
I'm sorry, Captain Peters, but my brother was buried yesterday.
This other is a case of mistaken identity.
Yeah, that's what I figured, Mr. Williams.
A fellow often knows his own brother,
but the insurance company isn't taking any chances during a time like this.
The investigator is going to have a talk with this fellow tomorrow morning.
The poor guy won't last long,
and the adjuster figures he'll talk before he dies.
You say he's in the hospital?
Yeah.
Which one?
Oh, I don't know.
I saw the name in the paper, but I'm not sure.
Why?
Are you interested?
Oh, no, no.
Well, I'm sorry I bothered you, Mr. Williams.
That's all right.
Well, so long.
I'm sorry about your brother.
Thanks.
Well, how'd he take it?
Just like I thought he would, Logan.
He was startled when I sprung it on him,
and he sort of calmed down, and just before I left,
he tried to ask, unconcerned, like, where this man was.
Oh, he's interested all right.
You hit it, Peters, making him think that his brother was struck by hit-and-run driver
is one way of finding out just how sure he is that the man found in the ruins was his brother.
Yeah, and I figured that if Ward Williams knows his brother is alive,
he'll try to see him and shut him up.
Right.
You say he asked which hospital the man was in?
Yeah, and I told him I didn't remember, but I saw it in the newspaper.
He'll watch every paper that comes out.
Come on.
Where are you going now?
To give the next edition of the Sun a very interesting little article.
Now, did you get the paper?
Yes.
It's in the home edition.
The one Williams will most likely read.
Oh, good.
Let's see it.
It's on page one, just as you gave it to them.
Oh.
Man near death insists he is not dead.
There's a headline for you.
An unidentified man, about 45, lies dying in Providence Hospital,
insisting that his name is Hugh Williams.
Police find that a Hugh Williams is alleged to have died in the recent Harmonsville earthquake
and believe that the man is suffering from mental attacks
as the result of being struck by a hit-and-run driver sometime last night.
Well, that'll pull Williams out of anything, Will.
Yes.
Providence Hospital, eh?
Oh, Chief's Office, Captain Peters.
Oh, hello, Burke.
What's that?
When?
All right, beat it over to the hospital and get into bed as we planned.
There you are.
We've got him worried already.
Burke, the man I left to watch Williams,
says that he bought every edition of the afternoon papers and took them home.
After about 30 minutes, he came out with a copy of the Sun in his pocket
and started for the city in his car.
Good.
I told Burke to beat it to the hospital and get into bed as we planned.
We'll arrange to meet our friend Mr. Williams at the hospital
and ask him why all the interest if he's so sure his brother is dead.
Everything all said, Burke?
Yeah.
Well, get in the bed and pull the covers up around your neck.
Okay.
Yeah, that's it.
Got the nurse instructed?
Yes.
When Williams asked to see the man, she used to give him the room key and let him come alone.
Good work.
Hey, you better pull down that shade and turn off the light.
We'll hide behind this screen.
Williams should be here any minute.
Right.
Good.
Now, there's just enough light in the room to see the bed.
You all set, Burke?
Yeah, this is a cinch.
All right.
Get over here with me, Logan.
I figure we won't have to long to wait.
Say, I'm getting...
Shh.
Somebody's at the door.
He's trying the knob.
All right, put him up.
Get the lights on, Logan.
Say, say what?
Oh, you don't.
Get his hand, Logan.
His right hand.
There's something in it.
Give me that.
Well, I'll be...
What is it?
Cyanide.
He was all set to bump his brother off.
Why, you crazy fool.
I never thought you'd go as far as murder.
Why not?
The paper said he was going to die anyway.
He ratted on me.
He ruined my chances of getting that $50,000.
You and your brother had this all framed, didn't you?
He was to disappear and you were to collect the insurance.
Is that right?
Yes.
Well, who was the man whose body was found in the wreckage?
A tramp who'd come in looking for a handout just as quick started.
And you tried to fool us with the wrong corpse, huh?
Well, I guess we got our back on you.
Hey, wake up, Burke.
Hmm?
Who, me?
Why, that's not my brother.
It's...
It's a trick.
Yeah, it's a trick.
Yeah, you were tricking us and we were tricking you.
Take him down, Burke.
900
you